Happy Holydays!

Merry Christmas!

As Christmas looms nearer I’ve scrolled past more than a few memes on Facebook, and elsewhere on the far reaches of the interweb, that declare most boldly the notion that Christians ought not to feel constrained by the pressures of a politically correct society to wish others a happy holidays.  The basis for this declaration, I assume, since it is never really expounded upon, is that a generic “Happy holidays!” does a disservice to the true reason for the season.

The challenge of these holiday memes is for faithful Christians who want to keep Christ in Christmas to proudly swim upstream against the strong currents of a consumer society that threatens to swallow up even the true meaning of Christmas. 

So this has me thinking: Does “Merry Christmas!” really have the power to overcome a threat that has plagued us since 1965 when Snoopy’s doghouse caused Charlie Brown’s lamentation; “When did Christmas get so commercial?”

Many of us may not know that the word “holiday” comes from two English words, “holy” and “day.”  It once was a word used to refer to the holy days of the Church calendar.  Think Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Advent, and yes, Christmas.  So technically, “Happy Holidays!” is quite correct when referring to Christmas.  Of course, language is only as effective as the ones employing it.  In other words, that meaning is now lost.

So I have a choice to make.  I can try to be respectful of my friends of the unchurched persuasion and offer them a sincere “Happy Holidays!” or I can wish everyone I meet an equally hearty, but less socially acceptable “Merry Christmas!” 

One makes me a sensitive and progressive conformist.  The other makes me a daring and courageous religious activist.  I guess.

You know what I’m going to do?  I’m going to play it by ear.  Take it one greeting at a time.  Some people will look like they need a merry Christmas.  Then again, some of my friends are not into Jesus at all.  Maybe I will give them a “Merry Christmas.”  Maybe I won’t.  Maybe I will wish them a “Happy Holiday.”  It doesn’t mean I don’t love Jesus.  And it doesn’t mean I’m afraid to name the name of Christ.  And it certainly doesn’t mean that I want consumerism to overtake the real meaning of Christmas.

What it means is that I believe my actions and the generosity of my Church are what will hold the darkness of consumerism at bay this season.  You see, I know that dozens of kids will have a warm jacket, a pair of boots, a hat, and a scarf this winter, because of local area churches.  I know that fifty five people ate a free Christmas dinner today in the gymnasium of Knox Presbyterian.  Probably the best meal they will enjoy this year.  I know that a few dozen people will be fed and have somewhere warm to sleep in the basement of my church building this Christmas season.  And this is the real rebellion against an encroachingly commercial holiday, not a bold “Merry Christmas!” to an overworked and underpaid cashier at Walmart, who probably isn’t offended in the least anyway.  

In the face of a society that has turned Christmas into what you can get, we Christians are challenged to see what we can give.  Jesus once asked the apostle Peter if he loved him.  Good, Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”[1]

Being a disciple of Christ goes far deeper than catch phrases, rhetoric, and Facebook memes.  I know this sounds self-righteous, and it isn’t meant to be.  I just want us to talk less about what we will say this Christmas, and spend more time thinking about what we will do.

"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11

Happy Holydays everyone!

-A

www.knoxmidland.ca 

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[1] John 21:17

What are you doing this Sunday morning?

Hi folks,

I hope that you enjoyed Sunday worship at Knox this past week.  If you weren’t there, I hope that the Lord blessed you wherever you were.  I was out in Victoria Harbour and Port McNicoll, leading worship with those two fine churches.  I was privileged to welcome 5 new members into St. Paul’s, and also celebrate the sacrament of baptism of a beautiful little baby girl.  Communion with both congregations, and a little preaching too, rounded out a full morning! Much thanks to P33 and our pastoral intern, Lisa Tisi, for leading worship while I was away.

This week we continue the series that Lisa started, called “Oh Come all Ye Faithless.”  Clever title, right?!  :D  The idea is that Jesus didn’t just call the faithful… He called the faithless too.  He called the tired, the broken, the hurt, the lonely, and those who don’t have it all together.  He came to heal a broken world.  Christmas is a time when we celebrate the advent of God.  Theologians call this the incarnation.  I call it God’s greatest miracle.  And this miracle is for all.  Why do you think the first people He told about it were humble shepherds?

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:11-14

So I hope that you will join us this Sunday as we continue this special advent series.  Oh, and it begins with a very special brunch at 9:45!  Ham, sausages, hash browns, quiche, muffins and jam…. Have I got your attention yet? 

We will start with brunch and move right into our worship service at our normal time: 10:30 am.  But we won’t be up in the sanctuary this Sunday – we will do the whole thing down stairs in the newly painted Dorothy Swallow Hall.  Why?  Because it is fun!  And also because not only are we having worship and brunch, but we are also going to show our appreciation to the hard working volunteers of the Gift of Grace Soup Kitchen, and we’ve invited the regular guests of the Soup Kitchen to join us!  Won’t that be great if they come?! So we want to do worship together in a setting with which they are familiar, and perhaps that will make them feel more comfortable. 

After all, we want to reach out to everyone this Christmas with the good news of Jesus’ birthday, including those who attend the Soup Kitchen.  This fits in well with our new vision.

Our Vision: Knox is a growing community of disciples radically devoted to Christ, irrevocably committed to one another and relentlessly dedicated to sharing the hope that is within us.

So I hope that you will join us for the entire experience this Sunday.  Please come for the brunch and stay for the worship.  If you can’t make brunch, I understand, but please please please try to make it.  It will just be more meaningful with you there.  And if you are tempted to skip the whole thing, because it is a bit out of the norm, I encourage you to reconsider.  I promise that this will be a worthwhile time of fellowship and worship that you won’t want to miss.   Besides, we need your help in appreciating the members of our congregation and community who work so hard to feed forty to eighty people every week!

If you got through this whole long email, congratulations, and thanks for the chat!

Advent Blessings,

Rev. Alton J. Ruff

How I can lead worship on the Sundays that I don’t even want to get out of bed.

Last Sunday at Knox Midland, I said that one of the challenges of a pastor is the leading of worship even when you don’t feel like it.  Maybe this comes as a surprise to you.  This is a problem common to many positions in the church.  You probably also have tasks in your own job that you sometimes wish you didn’t have to do. 

For the sake of brevity I wasn’t able to get too deep into this topic, so I thought I’d write a short note about how I am able to lead worship, even when I don’t feel like it.  Maybe someone can relate.

 

Let’s face it, some mornings you wake up and you just don’t want to get out of bed on Sunday morning.  Maybe you had a disagreement earlier in the week with a brother or sister in the Church, and as a result you are nursing anger or disappointment.  Maybe you got into a fight with your spouse or your kids on the way to worship.  Maybe you had a flat tire, or the car won’t start, and now you are running late.  You show up to worship worn out, or tired, or frustrated.  So what do you do?

Here’s what I do.

1.) Focus on Jesus.  No matter what’s going on when I get to the sanctuary on Sunday morning, it all takes a back seat to my focus on Jesus.  Even on the worst days, when everything has gone wrong, I block it all out and focus on the reason why I’m there – to worship Him.  When I take my eyes off of Christ, nothing turns out right.  So whatever might be going on, I keep my eyes on Him.

2.) Focus on others.  When I focus on the congregation, my personal problems become secondary.  There are probably people in the congregation going through worse things than me anyway, and they need an encouraging word from the Word.  As pastor, you know quite intimately the details of other’s lives – those struggling with cancer, divorce, death, depression, addiction.  They are there, and they are ready to worship God – so I am too.

3.) Find comfort in community.  There is tremendous joy for me in preaching and leading worship, especially when I receive energy back from the congregation.  When I see that woman raising her arms in worship, even though I know she’s struggling with deep personal pain, or when that faithful couple in the back pew smiles and nods at me as I preach, I receive a gift of affirmation.  I feel a sense of purpose and belonging that eases any doubts that I’m in the right place.

There are other reasons why I can lead worship, even on the hardest Sunday, but these are the first that come to mind.  How about you?  What gets you out of bed on Sunday morning?  

-A

www.knoxmidland.ca 

 

Discouraged in Ministry? Remember these Three Things:

A friend in ministry texted me the other day about his frustrations in ministry.  He was feeling like he wasn’t the right guy for the job (even though I knew he was exactly the right man for the job) and he talked about thoughts of giving up.  I wished I could reach through my HTC One and give him a huge hug.

We’ve all been there right?  Frustrated.  Discouraged. 

If you’ve ever done any kind of ministry - whether it is teaching Sunday School, leading music, serving in missions or outreach, or even full time pastoral ministry – you know that frustration can easily set in.

When that happens you may be tempted to quit.  And in fact sometimes there is a time to move on.  But before you do, please remember three things:

1. Discouragement is normal.  Ministry is hard.  It always was.  It always will be. Learn to deal with it.  I do not say this glibly.  You will have times when things go smoothly and ministry brings great joy and fulfillment, but from the first disciples who had to deal with being betrayed by one of their own number, or found themselves running ragged looking after widows, to the present day, we see that ministry is a challenge.  In my experience the most rewarding things in life usually are hard won.

2. Discouragement is a spiritual battle.  You understand that if you let discouragement get to you that the Enemy wins, right?  The Devil has very little power over us that we do not give to him ourselves.  I think that’s why in one place Peter, who knew a lot about the trials of ministry, told his contemporaries (and by extension us) to resist the Devil. In 1 Peter chapter five we find an encouragement to the “shepherds of God’s flock.” 

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” 1 Peter 5:6-9  

3. Discouragement will pass.  It will.  Honestly.  If you resist the nagging lies of the Enemy, keep your eyes focused on Jesus and His Mission, and keep moving forward in the direction that God wants you to go, this time of discouragement will pass.  Don’t make any rash decisions during this time.  Learn from them.  Grow from them.  But do NOT give up.  God’s mission here on earth is far too important to quit.  God knows you aren’t perfect (see 2 Cor. 4:7) and still you are His plan. 

So keep going!  Don’t quit!  And just wait and see where God takes you next.

- A

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7